Forbidden feelings
by Thalassina
Summary: Set some time during the episode "The beach" (Book 3, ep 5) before Sparky Sparky Boom Man (Sokkastyle 4ever) attacks. Katara and Aang are just friends. Well, that's what Katara tries to tell herself, but her feelings just don't want to agree with her... Kataang. Rated T 'cause paranoia.


**A/N: This is the first english fanfiction I've ever written, so there can be some grammar mistakes or a word isn't quite fitting. But I already let some native speaker correct it so I guess it's okay then... Hopefully. If you find any mistakes, please please tell me so that I can do better next time!**

**This is originally a german oneshot I've written and translated into english.**

**Enjoy! :p**

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><p>Katara watched the sunset. It was beautiful to see the colors dancing on the horizon and how they slowly sink. A yell directed her view from the sky to Sokka who got splashed by Toph. Now he jumped up and ran away from her, but he was on hard sand and that didn't bring him in a better situation, because Toph let little rockfaces shoot out of the ground.<p>

They were camping near a little lake which was surrounded by stone walls. Maybe this used to be a vulcano many years ago. Aang stood in shallow water and watched the scene amused. He was only wearing shorts and Kataras view virtually got attracted magically by his shirtless upper body. She hesitated. Did he grow? Also it seemed to her that he got bigger muscles. His hair had become longer and when he called something out at Sokka, Katara discovered his voice was changing as well. It wasn't as childlike as it has been a while ago. Why didn't she recognize it during the last weeks? Or didn't she merely realize it? But there was one thing she knew for sure: The playful kid from half a year ago who wanted to ride the Unagi and bragged in front of little girls was growing up. He changed, very positively.

She wasn't able to look away from him and when he laughed, because Toph threw Sokka into the lake, she thought she had no ground below her feet anymore. It began to tickle inside of her stomach very intensively and she had to smile automatically. But then she shook her head so that the feels got thrown off of her. What was that? That shouldn't be! Aang was her best friend. Even more than that, he was like a brother for her. Yeah, that was the right thing.

A little sigh escaped her; thereupon she shook her head again and bit her lower lip. She persuaded herself that the strange feelings she got when looking at Aang came from all they had been through together and that she was very proud of him, because he did his Avatar-thing better and better. Yeah. That was the only right thing.

But it didn't matter how idiotical excuses she thought about, they got more unlikely from excuse to excuse.

No, she didn't love Aang like Sokka loved Suki.

No, she didn't.

He was just her best friend. There was nothing more than that. And this kiss in that cave of these two lovers has been something they had to do to find their way out. She tried not to think about the memory on this weird flare of warm feelings in the moment when their lips had touched. She didn't want to think of that, tried to keep it out of her mind.

Then, in this cave under Ba Sing Se, her fears had been justified. He'd been in danger. When he layed lifelessly in her arms then, she felt like her whole world came crashing down on her. For a single moment she did feel like her life didn't have sense anymore. But then she felt hope again when she remembered the water from the spiritual oasis of the north pole that she had almost wasted on Zuko. The darkness around her seemed gone when Aang suddenly opened his eyes and smiled at her. She felt like crying, felt like screaming in happiness, until he became motionless again and collapsed in her arms. But again her feelings had been justified and didn't have anything to do with that silly thought of her being in love with Aang. Such big nonsense.

Her thoughts went on to the evening a few weeks ago which seemed to her like it happened yesterday. This evening in that cave when Aang danced with her. Her. Not with some of these many other girls who obviously had a crush on him. From out of this big selection he chose her, Katara. With another sigh she had to confess that she had been jealous of On Ji, because Aang had shown her a few dancing steps first. She looked pretty and seemed to be very nice.

However, Katara telled herself that her jealousy came from the fact that she and Aang were best friends and that he rather danced with another girl than her. But should she be? When they were just friends? Actually she should be happy for him, shouldn't she?

But then he stood in front of her, asking her to dance. It was just stunning. He was stunning. Everything around them seemed to disappear; there were no children, no cave, no fire nation, no war. It felt like flying. She hardly realized when the dance was over, she only felt his arms holding her and looked deep into his eyes. And when she closed her eyes now, she still saw the sparkles in there, like little stars shining from the sky in a starry night, still felt the butterflies in – no! She gave herself a clout.

No, she wasn't in love with Aang!

She watched him swimming and soaked up every move he did. She got the desire of holding him in her arms, just letting the world go and feeling his warmth. The moment in the dark labyrinth when their lips had touched came to her mind. His ones had been warm, warm and soft. Katara wanted to touch and never let go of them again. But that was not possible. Above all because they were just friends, nothing more, but still… Still these feelings were there.

After inhaling deeply she finally gave up her resistance. She was indeed in love with Aang and she couldn't deny that anymore. Acting like there was only friendship between them absolutely didn't make any sense.

But what about him? Presumably she only was a good friend of him. Besides – Katara pinched her arm to stop dreaming – they were in the middle of a war and didn't have time for things like these. She had to think about many more important things than Aang probably feeling the same about her…

When they would fight in the middle of a battle and their lives would be in danger they had to concentrate on fighting and shouldn't be distracted. Even in case the war lasted much longer she wasn't allowed to give in and show her feelings. Also it would be much worse if anything happened to Aang then. No, she should not open herself. Even if he shared her feelings just a little bit she only would be a distraction. He had to concentrate on his mission, because the destiny of all the people depended on that.

Tears filled her eyes and she desperately tried to forget her feelings that wanted to be accepted from her, but everything seemed to explode inside of her. Quickly she jumped up and plunged into the lake, dived deep and far and – back at water surface – she had her feelings fairly under control again.

She grimaced. There shouldn't be happening anything like that again. From now on she had to be careful that she kept her emotions to herself. They had to stay deep inside of her, stuck into a corner, where they had to remain until the war was over and she had time for them again.

Katara took a deep breath, before she swam back to the other side of the lake to watch the last sunrays of this day.


End file.
